Alan Jackson's Precious Memories Becomes The First Gospel Disc To Debut at No 1

NASHVILLE, TN (Alan Jackson Official Website) - While Alan Jackson only intended his new ACR/Arista Nashville gospel album, Precious Memories, to be a Christmas gift to his mama, encouragement from family, friends, and his record label persuaded him to make the album available for release, and today he finds himself atop three Billboard sales charts, including Top Country Albums, where Precious Memories arrives at No 1 with first-week sales of 107,218 units. Simultaneously, the acclaimed 15-track collection of classic hymns also makes its first appearance atop Billboard's Top Christian Albums and Top Christian & Gospel Albums, as well as landing at No 4 on the all-genre Billboard 200 sales chart.

Jackson creates music history on multiple levels with the success of Precious Memories, which becomes the first gospel recording to debut at No 1 on Top Country Albums. The three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year also becomes the first country artist in history to debut an album of all-spiritual material at No 1 on the Top Christian Albums and the Top Christian & Gospel Albums charts, and by extension, the first artist ever to top all three charts at once.

Praise for the disc has been pouring in from such outlets as Amazon.com, which stated, 'What began as a private bequest becomes a moving, eloquent gift to Jackson's entire audience,' while Barnes & Noble.com hails Precious Memories as 'one of his finest moments ... a 15-song revival service that is at once intimate, unassuming, and moving,' and Billboard declares the album 'a landmark work by one of country's singular artists. ... he has delivered a masterpiece.'